Only Time
by Jedi Adia
Summary: I strongly dislike summaries. Anywho, this is just another adventure with Anya and Tasha - two Jedi that I created.


Only Time  
By Jedi Adia  
  
Summary: When a mission goes awry, Anya, Tasha, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon are captured by aliens who are immune to the Force and want to take it from Jedi.   
  
Disclaimers: I only own Anya and Tasha. Star Wars belongs to George Lucas. Another character, Jynxa, who makes a brief appearance, belongs to my friend Slaybelle.   
  
Author's Note: In a couple of my stories where Jynxa has made an appearance, I spelled her name with an I instead of a y. I apologize to Slaybelle for doing that. I am very sorry. Now...on with the story.  
  
*  
  
"Anya...are you alright?" His voice came out of the darkness.   
  
Her eyes opened and she sat up, trying to assess the situation. "Obi-Wan..." Anya said, "what happened?"   
  
"I'm not sure...the last thing I remember was a ship...a joint mission," Obi-Wan said, "betrayal..." He wanted to get to her. From her voice, he could tell she was on the other side of...wherever they were. Struggling against his bonds, Obi-Wan tried to get to Anya. But as he made an effort to do so, a door opened, spilling in light. Obi-Wan froze, as two aliens entered. One of them released Obi-Wan and the other released Anya.   
  
"We have everything we need from you," one of them said. "You are free to go."  
  
A Republic vessel arrived to get them and take them to Coruscant, where Qui-Gon and Tasha were waiting. They were waiting at the space port, and when the ship carrying their apprentices arrived, they went directly to the Temple. The Council needed to know what happened.   
  
Mace Windu was with his apprentice when the four Jedi arrived. Qui-Gon was surprised that they weren't appearing before the Council and he asked Mace about it.   
  
"You're recovering and this can't wait," Mace said. "We need to conduct an inquiry, and, if the need should arise, run some tests."  
  
"Tests? Why?"   
  
"I have a really strange feeling, Qui-Gon," Mace said. He turned to his apprentice. "I don't know how long this will take, Jynxa. Please wait in our apartment and I will come to you."  
  
"Yes, Master." Jynxa stopped at Anya's side on her way out. "Anya, I know we have never seen much of each other, but if you want to talk, I'll be there," she said. Anya nodded and Jynxa left the room.   
"So," Mace said, "let's start at the beginning. The Council gave the four of you a joint mission. The Kulashi claimed they were being invaded. The Council had heard rumors from other sources, so we sent you to investigate. Little did we know your captain had other plans. We sensed no hostile intent on his part. We lost contact, and as a result, are unaware of what else has happened."   
  
"Let us begin by saying that the Kulashi invasion reports were fake. There is a possibility of that," Tasha began. "We were lured away so that we could be captured by an unknown entity."  
  
"The last thing I remember was a room filled with equipment of some kind, and then the next thing I know, they released us," Qui-Gon said.   
  
"But you remember nothing else," Mace said. He turned to Anya and Obi-Wan, who only shook their heads.   
  
"Wait," Anya said. "I do remember one thing - an exchange between the aliens. One of them said, `The older ones aren't good enough. They aren't strong enough. They can't give us what we need...' And then I think they let them go. After that, I don't remember."  
  
"I'm sure this was traumatic for you," Mace said, as he sat back in his chair. "I should let you go now, so that you can get some sleep. It is vital that you remember more, so that we can prevent this from happening again. You're dismissed. Get some rest, all of you."  
  
Obi-Wan and Anya left the room with their masters. While Tasha and Anya went to their apartment, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan went to the gardens. They always found peace there.   
  
They were at a loss for words, as they sat in the silence. It was Obi-Wan who finally spoke. "Master, it's all so strange...how we remember next to nothing from the mission."  
  
"I suspect that our memories were tampered with," Qui-Gon said. "Mace may suspect the same thing. And there's what Anya said: how Tasha and I wouldn't have what these people wanted. This comes down to a lot more than memories."  
  
"It does, Master," Obi-Wan said, suddenly. "It started just a moment ago...I feel so strange."  
  
"How, Obi-Wan?"  
  
"I - I don't...I'm not sure," Obi-Wan said, as the gardens spun around him. Everything went dark as he passed out. Qui-Gon was able to catch him before he hit the ground.   
  
***  
  
Tasha arrived in the healer's wing soon after Qui-Gon had called. "Qui-Gon? What's happening?"   
  
"Obi-Wan passed out in the gardens," Qui-Gon said, as Tasha sat beside him in the corridor. "They're conducting every test imaginable. Trying to find out what's wrong..."  
  
"You haven't heard anything?"   
  
Qui-Gon shook his head. "Where's Anya?"   
  
"I left her sleeping in her room," Tasha said.   
  
"Is she alright?"   
  
"As far as I know," Tasha said, growing wary. "Why?"   
  
"Just before Obi-Wan passed out, we were talking. We think the aliens took a lot more than a few memory ingrams," Qui-Gon said.  
  
"Like what?"   
  
"Blood samples," a healer said, as he came out to them.   
  
"Blood samples?" Qui-Gon asked.   
  
"Yes, Master Jinn. These aliens...they wish to discover what gives the Jedi their power...and they want it for themselves."  
  
"They took the midi-chlorians," Tasha said.  
  
"Some of them, yes," the healer said. "And they may not have meant to do it, but they've caused the rest of the midi-chlorians to start dying off."  
  
"No..." Tasha turned and rushed in the direction of the apartment she shared with Anya.   
  
***  
  
Their ship dropped out of hyperspace, and the four Jedi aboard immediately sensed that something wasn't right. They were caught by surprise, though, as a group of aliens came in and overpowered them. They had been betrayed.   
  
"100,000 credits, just as you asked," one of the aliens told the pilot. He gave him a bag of credit chips, and then the Jedi were pressed through the airlock into another ship. Blindfolded and shackled, they could do nothing. The ship felt different somehow. As if something were missing.   
  
In the dark hold, they knew nothing of where they were going. Or worse, what the aliens had planned for them. When the ship landed, there were taken to a building. Qui-Gon and Tasha could now see what was happening, as their blindfolds were removed. Four aliens brought them into a darkened room. Qui-Gon immediately got a sense of foreboding. He reached out with the Force and found Obi-Wan and Anya directly behind himself and Tasha. They were surrounded by aliens. He and Tasha tried to remain stoic and composed, as they were hooked to machines. Outwardly, they remained calm. But horror engulfed them on the inside. Qui-Gon bit back the pain, but he knew Obi-Wan felt it through their bond. He fought it as long as he could, but he soon passed out, held up only by an alien guard and the chains holding him to the floor.   
  
"Master!" Obi-Wan cried out. His guard jerked him roughly, to silence him.   
  
Anya bit her lip, as Tasha's pain flowed through the bond they shared. Tasha fought the screams that threatened. She eventually succumbed to the pain, allowing it to wash over her, and passed out. The alien nearest to her looked at the one opposite him. That one took blood from Tasha and Qui-Gon and sent it to be tested.   
  
As Tasha and Qui-Gon were dragged away, Obi-Wan and Anya were hooked to the machines. They braced themselves as the pain came. The blindfolds had been removed, but Anya wished they hadn't. She clenched her fists, and squeezed her eyes shut. The tears of pain burned her lids, as they came. Mercifully, she soon passed into oblivion, coming around a couple hours later in a different place.   
  
"The older ones aren't good enough. They aren't strong enough. They can't give us what we need," one of the aliens said.   
  
Anya stiffened. What were they looking for?  
  
"What will we do?" Anya heard the other one say.   
  
"We'll let the older ones go," the first one said. "The young ones will have what we need. We'll take some more blood and let them go."  
  
Blood? Then it occurred to Anya that they were after midi-chlorians. They wanted the Force. And they felt Qui-Gon and Tasha weren't good enough. Anya struggled against her bonds, but a pin prick subdued her and sent her back to oblivion.  
  
*  
  
"You're free to go," the alien told them. "There's a shuttle waiting for you."  
  
"What about Obi-Wan and Anya?" Qui-Gon asked.   
  
"They won't be joining you for awhile. They're not well enough to travel."   
  
"We're not leaving without them," Tasha said.   
  
"We're doing you a favor. I suggest you appreciate it," the alien said.   
  
"No!" Tasha said, as she struggled against her bonds. She and Qui-Gon were quickly sedated and taken to a shuttle bound for Coruscant. By the time they'd recovered, they were in the Temple. All they could do now was hope for Obi-Wan's and Anya's survival.   
  
***  
  
Tasha ran into Anya's room. Her Force-signature was fading rapidly. "Oh, Anya..." Tasha said, grasping her hand. "Stay with me..." She knew what she had to do now. Tasha picked her up off the bed and returned to the healer's wing.   
  
"Bring her in," one of the healers said. Tasha did so, and as she laid her on the bed, she looked at Obi-Wan.   
  
"How is he?"   
  
"We're doing all we can, but it doesn't look good," the healer said. "His midi-chlorian count is dropping." Another healer stepped forward to look Anya over, and Tasha stepped back out into the corridor, where Qui-Gon waited. She choked back a sob and sank against the wall.   
  
"Three years...that's all we've had together," Tasha whispered. "I always swore she'd be knighted by the time she turned twenty." She closed her eyes and the tears stung her lids. "How could this happen, Qui-Gon? Why didn't we see it coming?"   
  
"I don't know," Qui-Gon said, reaching for her hand.  
  
A healer came out just then and summoned them. "We need you in there right now. We may be able to save them."  
  
Tasha and Qui-Gon went into the infirmary, and it seemed to them that their apprentices looked worse than before. "What's going to happen?" Tasha asked.   
  
"They will only recover with your help. You must join with them and use your combined powers to bring them into a healing trance. Only then will they recover," the healer explained. "You must begin immediately. We will monitor your progress."  
  
Tasha moved carefully to Anya's side; she moved quietly, as if she would wake the girl. She looked over at Qui-Gon, who was already focused on saving his Padawan. Tasha closed her eyes, and she too, ventured into the abyss of light that was the Force.   
  
It seemed a long time before Obi-Wan and Anya came into sight. They were rays of light that were getting smaller every moment. `Padawan, we musn't continue like this,' Tasha directed her thought toward Anya. `Come to me...come with me...please...' She sensed Qui-Gon nearby, as he echoed her thought. `Come with me and you will be safe.' They saw them turn...the lights twinkling, as stars would, when passed by clouds. The lights began to grow again, slowly, as if Anya and Obi-Wan were struggling against a greater force. Tasha and Qui-Gon continued toward them. They only stopped when Obi-Wan's call echoed through the Force. `We'll come to you.' When they met, four minds converged into two and went in a different direction. The masters gently urged their apprentices into a healing trance and withdrew from their minds.   
  
Tasha opened her eyes and heaved a sigh of relief. Qui-Gon was just waking up nearby. "I'm not going to leave her. Not again," Tasha said.   
  
"Same here," Qui-Gon said, not for a moment taking his eyes off of Obi-Wan, "same here."  
  
***  
  
Anya retold her memory of their capture when she and Obi-Wan woke up days later. She and Obi-Wan had been given a good prognosis by the healers and now were left with emotional scars to deal with. Tasha and Qui-Gon, too, didn't come out unscathed.   
  
"The Force can heal your physical wounds," Mace told them after he and Yoda heard the story. "But only time can fully heal. You must give it time."   
  
"We understand, Master. Thank you," Tasha said. She looked at Anya, and felt a tendril of emotion snake back. `Only time, Master...only time.'  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
